ZANESVILLE - For Gavin McKenzie, home is wherever he may choose to roam.

It could be the trails at Black Hand Gorge or Dillon State Park. Or the mountains of Colorado. "You can find a challenge, wherever you are," said the 33-year-old Tri-Valley graduate, who works for Genesis Health Care.

He has managed to find quite a few of them over his stellar career as an ultramarathoner (events more than 26.2 miles). Some of them are 100 miles. Others are 50 miles. Many of them involve mountains, including the unforgiving Nolan's 14, an amazing event through the Sawatch range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains in which he and Brandon Stapanovich navigated 14 14,000-foot peaks in well under the 60-hour time limit.

They were the only two who tried it in 2014 to finish it. McKenzie failed at his first attempt, and many accomplished ultramarathoners have never completed it.

It's been literally a long, rugged road from the time McKenzie ran track and cross country at Tri-Valley, graduating in 2003. "My mom (Sandy) strongly encouraged me to run, as something to do," he said. "Mr. (Fred) Graham and Mr. (Jeff) Keller were great coaches. I didn't like running around in circles so much, but in cross country, I enjoyed running in the woods, and the hills, because that is where I could pass people."

His late grandpa, Bill Adams, took him hunting and fishing on the farm in Coshocton County, and his dad, Mike McKenzie, always had him in the outdoors. Then, he took up backpacking thanks to his stepdad, Dr. Jack Booth.

McKenzie's love of running, hiking and backpacking came to fruition when, two years out of high school, he hiked the Appalachian Trail from March through October, from Georgia to Maine. In 2008, after not having run more than a 10-K (6.2 miles), he completed his first 50-miler in Colorado, and he moved there to attend Colorado Mountain College. A mountain man was born.

Leadville, home of the famed Leadville Trail 100-miler, was a natural location for him, and he worked in a coffee shop where he met runners from all over the country. He completed not only the Leadville 100-miler, but The Bear 100-miler and other 50-milers through the mountains. He had a ninth-place finish in the popular Pikes Peak Marathon and a sixth-place finish in the San Juan Solstice 50-miler. McKenzie won the Kite Lake Triple which traversed four 14,000-foot peaks.

He spent time as a guide in the Canadian Rockies, Yellowstone National Park, in Montana and New Mexico, returning home to Zanesville in 2015 when his dad suffered a spinal stroke. He's enjoyed his time here and made the most of it, hoping to complete his nursing degree at Central Ohio Technical College in Newark. For now, McKenzie has traded the mountains of Colorado for the foothills of the Appalachians.

"I like the varations, the hills and the bike path at Black Hand," he said. "The other side of the river too."

The local running community feels fortunate to have him around.

Mike Jacolenne of Zanesville is the first Muskingum Countian to complete a 100-mile race. He has done the Leadville 100, along with the Mohican 100-miler 10 times.

"I ran into him at a coffee shop in Leadville," Jacolenne said. "He's quiet and keeps to himself, but he's determined and loves to get out there and try new things on his own. He studies it, knows what he's doing and doesn't just jump into it. He listens to everyone, because there's a lot of information out there these days."

Mary Kitzig of Zanesville has completed three 100-milers, including Leadville and was a nationally-renowned triathlete, finishing the Iron Man in Hawaii. She and Juston Wickham of Zanesville also met McKenzie in Leadville.

"As successful as he's been, he's humbled and supportive of all the runners," Kitzig said. "He helped Andrew Joseph get ready for the Steamboat Springs 100. Ultra marathoners are always looking for that next step that's going to push them to their limit. It's a unique group of people. They're kind and enjoy the camaraderie, but are very competitive."

McKenzie completed a Ragnar relay race in West Virginia with local athletes Cole Graham, Kyle Graham, Ryan Linn, Brent Huffman, Cole Ryan, Kevin Knowlton and Mike Fulmer. He won a half marathon at Kenyon College, and has one of the best times at the Thunderbunny 50K, held at Stroud's Run in Athens.

He came up short in his bid to set a record in the 72-mile Smoky Challenge Adventure run through the Smoky Mountains. But McKenzie is not daunted by failure. It just fuels him more for the challenges ahead. "If I push myself to my limit, I'm successful," he said. "It's a big mental shift, getting through a 100-mile course. If you can do that, you can do anything."

Getting into the prestigious Hardrock 100 in Colorado is a high priority. "It plays right into my wheelhouse, and I really want to do it," McKenzie said. He also plans on completing the Nolan's 14 again, in the opposite direction.

"It's a different generation (of ultra marathoners), but he's stuck it out a lot longer than most," Jacolenne said.

"I want to see more people out there," McKenzie said. "It can be life changing. Or a lifestyle. Coming out of high school, I didn't want it to be the normal cycle of life. Work, vacation. Work, vacation. I wanted a more adventurous life. I have the bug."